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Exactly what said and felt when I got a call to come in and "discuss" the results of the biopsy. Are you at this stage or have you already had "the" discussion with a Doctor? A stage 1 or TiC has numbers from it showing which parts or cores had come back with cancer, and where these cores came from on your prostate gland.
A T1C means that the cancer could not be felt with a digital rectal examination. Means it is still small, and probably contained, but you should have been instructed to have more tests done that will be necessary to have done as your treatment program depends on their results. They are not cheap, and they take more time naturally.
My urologist had three tests ordered, and they came back negative for cancer. Mine was a 6, and I could have done "watchful waiting" as this kind of cancer grows slowly. Two samples had cancer, the other 4 were OK.
I chose to go to Dr. Michalski at Washington University School of Medicine, an EXCELLENT oncologist that specializes with prostate cancer patients. He ranks extremely high in the USA.
He made me get a colonoscopy in addition to the tests I had already completed, as I had rectal bleeding, which stopped me from having radiation therapy without a clean bill of health regarding this issue. Again, I was fortunate as I had polyps but they were not cancerous.
I'm 70 by the way. This was done in 2005, 7 years without cancer now.
I had EBRT for 8 weeks. It was an every day trip to Barnes, except weekends and the 4th of July. I taught school, was diagnosed in February, treatment started in May, and I never missed a day of school because of this.
But, I had a stroke 2 months after the last treatment, and triple by-pass surgery 2 months after the TIA stroke. During the rehab from the heart surgery, I was diagnosed with radiation induced proctitis, that is chronic.
I have had 4 surgical Out patient surgical repairs and a ton of meds plus a TENS application when the spasms are crippling, so you might want to do surgery if you are a good candidate for it. My brother chose it and so did a friend of mine, as we all had similar diagnosis and choices.
Most patients that get radiation now have better protection of their rectal wall, as several "blocks" are now available via enema which I have read is still in the "testing" stage. But all this is older info, and you do have a lot to consider.
Let me know if there are other concerns, and I pray that God help you with this very difficult time in your life.

Decision Point: Is it just me, or has there been an overall movement by medical professionals to place people over 70, on Medicare or some "health plan" like "Humana Gold Enhanced" to treat you like a second class citizen? Reason I ask is because of my experiences as a patient when I had private health insurance and a good paying job as opposed to having this insurance plan which pays the medical people at a much lower rate.
I waited over an hour to see a physician I used to get in to see in minutes. I had to leave as I ran out of time. I still have a life and a job. If I can't hang on to the latter,the other won't matter. Also sent a FAX to a specialist I have been a patient for several years. Never received a response...
I would change Dr.s but why? I don't believe my insurance would allow it anyway.

Radiation: Side effects include radiation proctitis which I have had surgically repaired several times.I still have episodes of bleeding and itching plus severe muscle spasms and fecal leakage. I have a portable electro stimulator that does wonders for the spasms, but it can't be worn anyplace which locks me down for over an hour 3-6 times a day when the spasms are bad. I have lidocaine ointment for topical application, neomycin and cortisone suppository compound that I use twice a day when it's bad, and I take narcotics for the pain and valium for the muscle spasms as needed. There apparently isn't a free cure for this, and I'm to poor to consider "options". I can't afford specialists anymore as I have a bad form of medicare called humana gold plus that barely covers the basics. We lost the home and did chapter 7, and we are both 70 now.

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